“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” – Romans 12:12 (ESV)

Everyone has junk in their lives – junk that threatens to drag us down.  Maybe your marriage is on the rocks or your kid is on your nerves.  Maybe you dread facing the job on Monday mornings.  Maybe your finances are causing you worry, or your health, or someone else’s health… You name it.  We all face difficulties.

But… have you ever noticed there are some people who just seem perpetually peppy?  Life never gets them down.  They are unflappable, despite circumstances.  Their hair could be on fire and, after extinguishing the flames and bandaging the burns, they would say, “Oh well, I was going bald anyway.”

Then there are some of us who get worked up at the littlest things.  Our nerves teeter on a knife’s edge.  A simple request at the dinner table to please pass the asparagus could elicit an undeserved response such as, “Give me this!  Give me that!  You always want something from me!”  (Of course, let’s be fair.  It’s asparagus.  Asparagus will put anyone in a foul mood.)

If you are finding yourself in a continual, repeated pattern of upset or anger or worry or anxiety or just feeling blue, consider this: maybe it is time for a priority adjustment.  Maybe the job / career is too important to you.  Maybe the discontent with your station in life is too strong.  Maybe your trying to hard to please someone else.  Maybe you need to stop trying to control every little facet of your life through micromanagement.  Maybe you just need to relax and trust God.

I write these things because I’ve been there.  I’ve had the time in my life when my wife didn’t know which husband she was going to get when I got home from work: the happy one or the one who was angry at the entire world.  (Mind you, I never had the asparagus scenario play out at our dinner table.  You’d never find the asparagus close enough to me to need to pass it.)

Listen, I am a human being.  I struggle with perfectionism and acceptance.  I goof up, make mistakes and kick myself for miles afterward.  I worry too much, which causes me to think too little, which leads to anxiety which, when it goes unchecked, can be the on ramp to a very, very long trip.

I understand.  I know.  That’s why I write what I write.  I don’t want you getting on that road.

I want you to be joyful.  I want you to be peaceful.  I want you to be happy.

Yes, I said happy.  Don’t let anyone tell you happiness is a useless pursuit.

And, trust me, I understand all too well that sometimes the issues we face are the result of a brain that just doesn’t produce the serotonin it should, meaning one may need medicine.  Not every malady is the result of Satan winning a battle against you.  We live in an imperfect, fallen world.  Accept that and stop giving the devil so much credit.

If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you have hope – not just for heaven but here and now.  That doesn’t mean your circumstances will improve. They may.  And they may not.  What it does mean is that God will strengthen you for whatever you face, and whatever you face has not the last word.  You have hope in Christ because, ultimately, you will be saved!  It’s like the song says: sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He calms His child.

This is why we need to be patient in tribulation.  God will use the lousiest, most down and difficult times in our lives to build us up, as well as those around us.  When people see you calmly facing a hard time – no matter how uncomfortable it is – and we give God the glory for our peace, know He will rescue as at just the right time… well, that gives others hope in Christ as well.  It takes what some may consider the abstract idea of faith in Jesus and turns it into concrete, undeniable reality.

However, as I said, it can be tough.  That is why we need to be constant in prayer.  We are commanded to “pray without “(1 Thessalonians 5:17).  That means to always be in an attitude of prayer, ever-mindful of God’s constant loving presence and ready to pray at the drop of a hat.  It means keeping our minds focused squarely on God through Jesus Christ.  It means truly resting in the Lord, knowing He can handle any situation.

That means the results are not ours to worry about.  The only judgment that matters is that of God alone.

That means you can leave the troubles at work when you go home at night.  In fact, you don’t have to carry the troubles around at work, in the car, at home, at church… You have the Lord! 

So, tonight I want to encourage you to look at your life.  What’s bugging you?  Is there something eating away at you?  What’s worrying you, or frustrating you, or just plain making you mad?  What is robbing you of your peace?  Give your cares to God.  Trust the Lord with every minute outcome of your life.  Face life with the joy, peace and confidence that comes only from faith in Jesus, from relinquishing control and keeping your eyes on Christ at all times.

Tonight, change direction.  Correct course.  Adjust your priorities so that you “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), knowing He will take care of your needs.

Sleep well, dear friends.  Be filled with joy and peace in Christ.  And rest easy in the strength of the Lord.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

– Romans 8:31 (ESV)

One day in 1740, the Anglican pastor (and later founder of Methodism) John Wesley stood before his congregants in a chapel in Bristol, England.  He delivered his simply titled “Sermon 128,” better known today as “Free Grace.” Using Romans 8:32 as his text, Wesley wonderfully proclaimed: "(The) assurance of faith which these enjoy excludes all doubt and fear, It excludes all kinds of doubt and fear concerning their future perseverance; though it is not properly, as was said before, an assurance of what is future, but only of what now is."

That is a pretty audacious statement to make.  We are expected, as believers who have the assurance of faith, to not be bothered by anything past, present, or future.  No worry.  No doubt.  It is a claim one cannot make without understanding the verse before Wesley’s base passage for this sermon.

If God is for us, who can be against us?  If one digs into the Greek words in this verse, we find what Paul is saying here is this: if God – Who Is high above us and far beyond our grasp – loves us so much as to stand for us, who can make a charge against us that will stick?

Look at Jesus.  His trials before the Jewish and Roman leaders was a kangaroo court.  He was unjustly tried, punished and executed – with great haste and no true sense of fairness.  The enemies of Jesus passed a guilty judgment against Him.

But God had the final word in the matter.  Three days after His death, Jesus Christ put pay to all of His promises, and all the Old Testament Scripture that was penned before – and pointed toward – Him. 

My point is this: the judgment of others does not matter. 

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39 (ESV)

God has the final say, not your enemies.  God loves you, you are His child, and His love for you is never ending.  Do not let those who oppose you get in your way of doing what God has called you to do.  Do not let fear or worry or doubt cloud your vision or block your path.  Here is the great thing about fear: faith is its Achilles Heel.  If you stand up in faith and stare fear in the face, it will back down.  True authority is rooted in God, and His will and ways and Word.

Faith turns fear into soft butter.  So, today, whatever you are facing, don’t be swayed by the enemy.  Don’t let doubt creep in.  Do not weary in well doing.  Stand up straight and strong in faith on the mighty Word of the Lord.  Hold fast to your conviction that God is GOD and He has a plan and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – that will thwart that plan.

And remember that you are part of that plan.  Cling to God.  Let Him fight the battle.  You just need to stand strong and stay faithful.  The LORD is your strength, and when we are weak, He is strong!

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)

What defines a person? Is it their job? Their past? The judgements of others? Is it the grades you get at school, your station in life? Is it status or wealth or genealogy? Answer this question: at the very core of my being, I am a ______________________.

How did you define yourself? Some will choose their employment position or title. Others their familial role. Still others will frame their identity with either a point of pride (or, the other end of the spectrum, failure).

The problem is that none of these identifying factors are complete – or completely accurate. In fact, they can often hold us back. Especially if we are branded by others with an unfair label.

Your work does not define you.

Your wealth does not define you.

Your title, status, achievements, failures… None of these things define you.

No other human being can define you.

Only God defines you. He created each and every one of us with a purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, wired with a God bestowed purpose and destiny. What is your purpose in life? I have no idea. Ask God! He drew up the design, plotted out the plan, wired you to be you.

Trust in a God. He has wonderful designs for your life. Get up in the morning and say, “Good Morning Lord! Thank you for giving me another day to serve you and rest in your grace and love. How can I serve today?” Seek God first and foremost. And watch Him work amazingly through your life to bless others. Then you will find your true purpose. It is only in God through Jesus Christ that we find our true identity.

So, who are you? You are a child of the One True God, greatly loved, incredibly blessed, fearfully and wonderfully made!

(C) 2013 by Chris Courtney. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share this message with anyone who you think may be blessed by it!

Visit us on the web at: https://bouvillediarist.wordpress.com

https://bouvillediarist.wordpress.com

I do not believe in luck. Nothing happens by chance. We are where we are, when we are, because it is God’s will. The people in your life are there because God placed them there. A friend of mine recently Tweeted a very wise quote from the late pastor Chuck Smith: “Everything is preparation for something else.”

Everything has a purpose. You may never know it because it may be for someone else. There may be a lesson to learn. You may be the one who leads someone to Christ by your actions, never needing to speak a word.

Your life is not meaningless. You are not called to a hopeless existence. We have a job: to be salt and light before men, to let the light of Christ shine far brighter through us. We are called to share the light and love of Jesus. Today, as we head into the new week, let’ s do so with great joy, with great thanksgiving in our in hearts. We are called to love.

(C) 20013 by Chris Courtney. All rights reserved. Please feel free to send this to any friends who need a boost all in God’s ways of doing things.

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Ahhh… can you see it?  Look there, off in the distance.  Just beyond the horizon.  Shining, glimmering, calling out to you… If you can’t quite see it yet, wait until noon.  That’s when we crest the uphill climb every Wednesday and begin our descent into the always anticipated weekend.

The weekend.  Most look forward to it.  Some live for it.  Some revel in it so much that, as the old joke goes, they have to go back to work on Monday to get some rest.

Today, I want to show you something to look forward to even more than the weekend.  If things are getting stressful or tough and you see no end in sight to whatever situation you are facing, remember: just like the workweek – and the weekend – nothing lasts forever.

Except, that is, eternity.  (I know… thanks for pointing out the obvious…)

Eternity.  That is exactly what I want to get you thinking about.  How wrapped up do we get in our own little lives?  How many trivialities eat away at our time, our finances, our nervous systems?  How much focus do we put on things that, in a year or two or twenty, will not matter?

Consider what the apostle James wrote:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. – James 4:13-14 (ESV)

A mist.  Here today.  Gone tomorrow.  And for what?

If that sounds depressing, it shouldn’t be.  Let’s face it: this life is tough.  Stress, sorrows, pain, disease, guilt, toil…

But – if you think about it – on average we are only on this earth for 67.2 years.  That is the world life expectancy as of 2010 (according to The CIA World Fact Book).  And that’s pretty impressive, considering the number was half that (or less) up until around a century ago.

But even that is a speck compared to eternity.  Eternity is hard to grasp because it is a dimension we finite, time-bound humans have never experienced.  To understand eternity is to understand what it is to live unshackled by clocks and calendars.  Eternity is… well… eternal!  It never began.  It never ends.

Eternity – that wonderful place outside of time – is where we will be.  And, for believers in Christ, we will spend that time in the presence of Almighty God, Eternal Creator of All (including eternity itself).  Now… seriously… stop and think about that.  Eternity.  Forever.  No end.

No pain.

No sorrow.

No sin.

No depression.

No boredom.

No heartache.

No killing.

No disease.

No bondage.

No bitterness.

No fear.

No worry.

No need to live for the weekend.

Eternity worshipping our loving God Who so graciously gave His Son so we can spend eternity with Him.

And, if you don’t believe in Jesus, I have one simple question for you: what have you got to lose?  If I’m wrong, you’ve lost nothing.  Your life’s end on this earth will be just what you believe.  But, if I’m right (and this is not a boast of anything to do with me, it is all God’s grace and mercy and all in His Word), you will still have to face eternity. 

And it won’t be nearly as pleasant.

I cannot imagine what eternity totally separated from God is like.  The thought makes me shudder.

And, trust me, eternity lasts a lot longer than the 50-some hour mid-hump-day slide into the weekend.

 

 

Driving south on I-35 this morning, a thought occurred to me.  “I need to exit at Lakeville.  But, what if I didn’t?  This freeway goes all the way to the Mexican border.  What if we just kept driving and, on a whim, went to Texas?  We could stop in Kansas City and grab a steak.  Later, we could stop at Oklahoma City to grab whatever it is one grabs in Oklahoma City.  When we get to Fort Worth, maybe we could take in a rodeo.  If we go as far as Laredo, at the end of the freeway, we could grab some authentic Tex-Mex before swinging back around and heading north again.

Needless to say, I did not discover what one would grab in Oklahoma City.  I exited at Lakeville as planned.

And we had a perfectly wonderful day.

All the same, it is part of my nature to want to divert from the plan, to leave the beaten path and check out the side roads (with my GPS on, of course).  There is something about being free and untethered that absolutely excites me.  My soul leaps at the idea of the fresh start, the new beginning… the new trail to blaze! 

I believe Christianity should be the same way.  We need to be willing and brave enough to chuck our own life map out the window and follow the GPS setting God has for us.  Freedom in Christ is freedom from the heavy burden of sin and shame.  But it isn’t simply a get-out-of-jail-free card.  We should do something with that freedom.

Freedom in Christ releases us from the bondage of sin, but places us in a position of being bondservants for Jesus.  After all,

…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20a (ESV)

And the chains of Christ do not enslave us, but free us to serve the LORD.  In fact, unlike the shackles of sin which imprison us and cause great anguish, the “bondage” of Christ is a great blessing!

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Of all the places I want to go, of all the travels I would like to embark upon, none would be worth a single mile if I didn’t have Jesus Christ with me.  It is in the LORD that I find freedom.  It is in Him that I am saved, that I find salve for life’s wounds and the strength to face the day.  In fact, He promises to be with us always.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” – Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV)

What could be better than having the LORD as a constant companion?  There is no earthly possession, no amount of wealth, that could possibly surpass the greatness of God – our hope, our salvation, our redeemer, our protector, our guide.  He promises to never abandon us, never leave us. 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah – Psalms 46:1-3 (ESV)

I love that word selah.  It means “pause a minute right here and ponder what you just read.  Marinate in the message.  Let it soak into your and burrow into your mind.  Let these words change your heart, calm your anxieties, minister to your soul.  Stop a moment and consider it.  This is reality.”

Pause just a moment and ask yourself, where am I going?  Where is this trip of life taking me?  Am I just cruising along for the ride?  Am I steering my own course (or, rather, do I like to think I am)?  Or am I prayerfully, faithfully, fearlessly, joyously following the path set before me by God? 

Remember… you are free to be who God designed to be.  Free to do what God has called you to do.  Free to serve as God has equipped you to serve.  Free to love as God says to love.  Ask!  Seek!  Knock!  Go!  DO!

“While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” – Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)

 

The moment of clarity.  For some believers it comes as soon as we come to Christ.  For others, it takes a while – the individual great awakening being more of a process than a flashpoint moment.  All the same, there comes that moment one day when something in our feeble little minds clicks.  Maybe it’s something read or heard – a conversation, a sermon, a memory, a movie…

The moment of clarity.  The moment we begin to see things as they really are.  The moment we begin to see God for Who He really is.  The moment we realize that the LORD isn’t just real – He is Reality, Existence Itself!  The moment we look at our lives and ask ourselves, “What on earth am I doing?”

For Peter, Andrew, James and John, the moment of clarity was swift.  “Immediately” they left their nets.  Immediately they abandoned their source of income.  Immediately they saw in Jesus Christ the reality of the situation: here was the LORD. Here was something more important than fishing, more important than the security of a profession and steady income.

The more I read these verses, the more astounded I am.  None of them said, “Gee, I dunno… I kinda like working all night, lugging these heavy nets and reeking of fish guts.  Let me pray on it and I’ll get back to you…”  They abandoned it all.  They abandoned the life they knew. 

Immediately.

The moment of clarity.  When they saw Jesus and said, “Yes!” in a most enthusiastic manner.

Now, do not misunderstand what I am saying.  I am not suggesting anybody act in an imprudent fashion.  Don’t march into the office tomorrow, quit your job and say, “OK, God… now what?”  He may just give you directions to the unemployment office.

But… if you sense a call of God on your life (and, dear ones, we each have a call of God on our lives) and you’re doing nothing about it, what’s stopping you?  What do you need to abandon?

Maybe doubt and fear are holding you back.  Maybe wrong priorities are eating away at your time and resources.  Maybe you just need to take that first step.

If it’s a sin you need to abandon, shuck it off.  If it’s a bad habit, break it.  If it’s a lack of enthusiasm, get fired up!  If it’s self-doubt, realize the results aren’t your responsibility (God will take care of that).  If it’s lack of clarity, pray for the LORD to give you clear direction and a vision to pursue.  Just seek God and His will and ways first and go for it.  Abandon whatever is holding you back.  Work hard.  Pray harder.  Find joy in the journey.

And pursue your God given mission with faithfulness.

With joy.

With abandon.

God bless!

 

© 2013 by Chris Courtney.  All rights reserved.  If you’d like to share this article, please feel free!  If you’d like to reprint / repost on your website or in your church bulletin or publication, please contact me at christophercourtney@comcast.net.  I would be honored to see these words used to God’s glory!

Hello everyone!

I have an idea for a devotional book and I would like to ask your help. You see, this is one of the truly wonderful things about the Internet, the ability for you and I to interact. And I’d love to hear your ideas on this.

Actually, I want to hear your one word ideas.

That is the idea. Just one word. One word that would make a great devotional subject.

Love.

Peace.

Joy.

You get the picture.

Make it something that would be a blessing to others.

It can even be in another language.

Have fun with it.
,
Think: what one word just gets me fired up about Jesus and brings me great comfort or peace or joy.

Just one word.

It can be monosyllabic or multisyllabic.

Just one word.

Please email your devotional word to me at christophercourtney@comcast.net. There’s no money in it, but, should the book see publication, you will get a “thank you!”

Just one word.

God bless!

Oops… That’s two words…

Chris

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

I’ve been thinking about Paul and Silas this week. Our early Monday morning men’s Bible study group (a.k.a. The Predawn Theological Society) has been going through the book of Acts and… wow… if you need an example of boldness in The Lord, go no further than Acts 16. I think of all Paul endured on his missionary travels.

And I think of the comparatively very light load I whine about.

Then my mom helped me put it all in perspective for me. She asked me, “Son, do you realize how blessed you are?” I think I do. But, really, I don’t. I’m not sure that any of us realizes just how blessed we are.

For those of you who have been reading my writing for a while, this may sound familiar to you. If so, hang in there. This is the type of subject that won’t hurt any of us to hear more than once.

How blessed are you? Well… write it down. Grab a notebook and pen and begin writing down your blessings. If you look deep enough, you will even find blessings in the hard, difficult aspects of life.

Blessing does not come from wealth. Financial prosperity comes and goes with great ease (especially the latter). Riches today are no guarantee of ease tomorrow.

True blessings come from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). Believe it or don’t, it’s up to you. And one’s refusal to accept that fact in no way negates the truthfulness of the statement.

In every hardship, every difficulty, every pain, there is blessing. The blessing may be growth, the strengthening of your faith as you see God working in your life. It may be inspiring others who know you are struggling but see your faith is becoming ever stronger. It may be giving others hope, or developing within you a deeper sense of empathy for those who wrestle with the same giants – the same anxieties and fears and troubles and quandaries – as you.

“Your blessings far outweigh the bad stuff in life,” my mom said.

So do yours, if you’ll just stop and think about it.

So remember to rejoice, for God is great and greatly to be praised! Always be ready to pray, knowing God is always near. And cultivate an attitude of gratitude toward God, recognizing that it is only because of God that we are even alive. Do not for one minute take for granted the immeasurable love and amazing grace of The Lord!

You are loved far more than you know.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

How many times have I written about this verse?  I couldn’t tell you.  I haven’t enough fingers to count them. 

But I find myself continually coming back to these words Christ spoke to Paul.  I think about the “trials” I face.  Then I read words of Paul, describing his ministry adventures as a man who endured…

“far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for pall the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?” (2 Corinthians 11:23-29, ESV).

Personally, had I endured any one of those travails, I would have been marred for life.  However, as we see when we read on to chapter 12, the LORD had given Paul great and glorious visions.  And, in order to keep the apostle from becoming full of himself, Jesus allowed Paul the trouble of a thorn in his side, to keep him humble and focused on Christ.  For it is the grace of God that is sufficient for us.  Our self-sufficiency is absolutely useless.  Anybody who claims he is a “self-made man” is far more a fool than he realizes.

Then I came across this quote from Scottish theologian Alexander Whyte: “Grace, then, is grace – that is to say, it is sovereign, it is free, it is sure, it is unconditional, and it is everlasting.”   Read that again.  Slowly.  Let the words sink in.  Marinate in them for a minute or two.  Or ten.  However long it takes to permanently imprint these words on your very soul. 

Grace is sovereign, for it comes from God Almighty. 

It is free because that’s what grace is – the free, unmerited favor of our Heavenly Father.

It is sure because it comes from God Who never changes, Who is steadfast forever.

It is unconditional because it is a gift from a loving God – His power working for us, and through us.

It is everlasting, for God is eternal.

Grace is the strength we receive for the task at hand.  It allows us to endure whatever we must endure in this life for the work and sake of Christ.  It brings great glory to the LORD when people see His children stand straight and tall in His name under pressure.  Not because we are strong ourselves, but Jesus is strong within us.

Grace is the enabling power and gift available to you – to me – to move forward, press toward the goal, do what God called us each to do.  The grace of God pushes us beyond our fears, our doubts, our inabilities, our poor self-images, the lies we have embraced and the pains we experience (and avoid).

Grace puts pay to the promise that we can do all things through Christ which strengthen us.  The LORD is ever present – even when we cannot recognize His presence.  Even when the pain is great.  Even when the weariness gives way to exhaustion.  Even when your nervous system wants to give out.  There is no darkness God cannot lighten.  There is nothing too hard for God.  No task too tough, no calling unanswerable.

With God’s grace, that is.

So… what are you facing?  What do you need to do that you just can’t see how to go about it?  What obstacle has been dropped in your path?  Should you have avoided that left turn at Albuquerque?  What impossibility do you need to overcome?  Why haven’t you pursued the dream, the vision that God has given you?  Why have you let people get in your way?  What do you need to let go of?  What changes – big and small – do you need to make?  Why have you tried to do it on your own?

Today is the day.

Go grab a piece of paper.

Now.

I’ll wait.

Got it?  Ok.  Here’s what I want you to do.

1. Write down your name, and the date and time in the upper left hand corner.
2. Pray.
3. Write down your God given vision.  Who are you to bless?  How are you to go about it?  How does this vision look to you?
4. Go do it. 
5. Find someone who will help keep you accountable and shore you up in Jesus’ name in times of weakness.

Remember that nothing is impossible with God.  His grace – His gift of unmerited favor – is there for you.  Grab it in faith, rest in His peace and rely on His love and mercy and strength and guidance and provision.

And know that the grace of God is there for you!